'No Intruder': Prosecutor Gives Rebuttal In Caleb Flynn's Murder Trial

Paul M. Watkins, the elected prosecuting attorney in Miami County, Ohio, gave the rebuttal in Caleb Flynn's murder trial today (Tuesday, September 29). 03:01 "Let's start at the beginning and work our way through this carefully, because the evidence in this case did not begin with the gunshot, it began months earlier. Ashley was alive; she was full of light and joy. The defendant, he had a label, and he wanted out of his marriage, the evidence shows that his feelings for Ashley went far beyond simply wanting a divorce. He hated her. She was his prisoner. The defendant called her the spawn of Satan. Communications between the defendant and Alleigha go back years." 05:27 "Then came February 14th and 15, 2026. The defendant was no longer simply talking about someday leaving his marriage. The pressure he felt was too much. He was describing what he intended to do, who he intended to speak with, the order in which he intended to speak with them, where he intended to go, and what would happen afterwards." "He told Alleigha that he was not backing out when asked whether he was second guessing, asked whether whether he was second guessing himself, he answered no, and then said, 'I don't think there will ever be a quote good timing of this. I just have to do it.'" "He lied and said he said he went to see Todd and Jill to talk to them about the divorce. He couldn't have talked to Todd. He was in Canada. Defendant's location data proves he was never close to the Smith residence on February 15th. He repeatedly identified February 16th as the day things would change, he said, 'It's happening, Alleigha.'" 09:13 "He said he got up, went to check on Ashley, found her shot twice in the head. He didn't render aid. He didn't further assess her. He didn't hold her in his arms. He simply shook her foot and later called 911. When he called, he didn't ask for an ambulance. He immediately started to supply his explanation." "Somebody broke into my home and shot my wife. That is the story we have to examine. The defendant gave you a story, and the evidence gives you a way to test it. Start with what the defendant told the dispatcher. He did not simply report that his wife had been shot. He said she had been shot twice. He said the garage door, beside garage door, was wide open. Those details matter. How did the defendant know there were two shots to the head? How did he know the garage door was wide open if he later told investigators he had not gone into the garage before police arrived? Those are not technical questions. They're questions about what the defendant knew and when he knew." 15:22 "Look at the data. The defendant says he was asleep. His devices show he was awake and moving. You don't have to believe the devices tell you every exact moment, every exact movement that a pendant made. They don't, but you do have to account for what they actually recorded..." 17:44 "You heard about the direction of the tool marks and the complete lack of any corresponding tool marks you would find when a tool is used to pry open the door. You heard the hammer found in the garage matched class characteristics from those tool marks. The defense wants you to believe it could have been any hammer, ladies and gentlemen. Use your common sense." 28:58 "Why didn't he talk about Alleigha? They're standing here today and arguing it was Alliegha. Didn't tell law enforcement that because he did not want them to know about his affair. Mr. Mulligan's right. Coincidence is like winning the lottery and Ashley being murdered on the day the defendant wanted to abort her, is like the defendant winning the lottery, except he's so lucky he won without even buying the ticket." 31:10 "Remember the body camera footage of the 911 call? Where's his cough? He didn't cough once. That his cough is so bad that Ashley nicely asked him to leave the bedroom and sleep on the couch. Also, take note of the condition of that bed where Ashley's laying-the bed that he wants you to believe he was asked to leave. His side of the bed was not disturbed. He was never in that bed that night. Now the defense asked you to look at Botner. You should. Law enforcement sure did." 31:53 "You heard what Alleigha said about Ashley. You heard the evidence of hostilities. You heard the evidence concerning her relationship with the defendant, you heard the communications about leaving Ashley, the secrecy, the deletion of messages, the ChatGPT screenshots, and the discussions about what the defendant intended to do. Alleigha was talking about divorce. The defendant meant murder." 39:59 "He was worried about putting a shirt on before medics arrived. He simply paced in the bedroom. He didn't even check on his two young daughters until a 911 dispatcher asked him to for the third time. He doesn't grab one of his guns from the closet to protect himself or his children, why? Because there was no intruder. He knew it"